[Kareem Dimashkie]

Hi guys,

Thought this would be the place to pose this question.

I recently acquired a reproduction of the Highlander TV Series Season 1 sword. I had requested an aluminum stunt blade just for the heck of it.

I was curious as to if I could care for aluminum the say way I would care for stainless steel. Typically, I apply Flitz polish, and that's that. I have stainless steel blades that look great after 10 years with just one application. Can I do this aluminum as well?

Thanks for reading!

[Shahril Dzulkifli]

I think I'll leave you to the experts on blade care here in this forum, Kareem.

[Kel Rekuta]

AL blades are typically for stage use or for martial arts practice; two very different objectives. If its to be some kind of wall hanger then you need to do very little to keep it shiny. Mostly leave it alone, highly polished AL tends to be more resistant to corrosion than iron. You could wax it but that's a lot of extra work for something that is relatively inert to begin with.

If the blade will see use then the occasional filing with a fine single cut file will take down any edge burrs.

[Dan P]

The important difference between aluminum and steel is that when aluminum reacts with oxygen in the air, it forms a transparent oxide layer which protects the metal underneath, unlike steel which forms rust that continually flakes off and exposes vulnerable metal underneath. So you should not need to seal aluminum, especially a display blade, with wax or anything. If you simply keep the blade free of dust, it should be fine.

[Kareem Dimashkie]

Fantastic! Thank you gentlemen for all of your advice and help. I do have some renaissance wax lying around, but if that's just overkill, I best save it for the blades that need it.

Thank you again.